


A good (bad) day

by theflyinganonymouse



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: And More Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, and injury, and then ANGST and blood, but then there's recovery, coffee shop AU, everyone is soft for mingi, hospital au, there is fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:33:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23734672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theflyinganonymouse/pseuds/theflyinganonymouse
Summary: Even the best of days can end in the worst ways.
Relationships: Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 35
Kudos: 166





	1. Mingi

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my very first Ateez fic :')
> 
> There is a lot of blood and some violence but this is sandwiched by fluff. Please let me know what you think!!

Mingi is in a good mood, all things considered.

The sun is shining and the sky is a brilliant blue, promising another beautiful summer's day ahead. It doesn't matter that it's only his third day shift in an unfortunate row of seven or even that, by the time he's finished with work, the best of the day will be over. Right now the sun feels warm on his face as he tilts it up at the sky and the air he breathes is full of promise.

It's going to be a good day- he can feel it in his bones.

It's much cooler inside the hospital than it is outside but it always is during summer and spring. Mingi is already looking forward to pulling on the long sleeved t-shirt he wears under his scrubs and covering up his bare forearms. That initial burst of aircon always gets to him.

He shifts the straps of his rusack on his shoulders and pushes up his glasses where they've slipped down his nose and he smiles as he makes a beeline towards the coffee shop in the middle of the foyer. His smile only grows when he spots a familiar figure with his back to him and his happiness grows. 

This is his favourite part of the day. 

"Good morning, Mingi." San, the barista on the register, says. There's a smirk tugging at his lips but Mingi barely notices, too busy staring at the broad shoulders of his co-worker. 

San's greeting causes the other barista to look over his shoulder and Mingi's face colours when their eyes meet. He quickly looks away, but not before he sees the big smile on Yunho's face.

"You're late." Yunho says as he finishes filling a takeout cup with milk. "You're lucky there's no queue today or else you'd be even later."

"Even luckier is that Yunho insisted on making your drinks order for you so that you wouldn't be held up." San tells him, ringing up Mingi's usual order. 

Mingi's heart falls a little bit, disappointed that his morning interaction with Yunho will be shorter than usual. Still, he forces a bright smile, "oh, really? You're nearly done already? That's great." 

Yunho laughs, "you sound disappointed."

"Maybe." Mingi mumbles as he swipes his card. His cheeks are burning and he swears his heart has just skipped a beat. Yunho has such a beautiful laugh. A little louder and with more confidence than he's actually feeling, he says, "I look forward to our morning chats, you know."

San rolls his eyes and moves away from the register before Mingi's receipt has even finished printing and instead goes to stock up the bottles fridge. It gives them a small amount of privacy which only makes Mingi's heart pound.

"That's good." Yunho says and Mingi swears that he's blushing, too. "Because I look forward to them, too."

He quickly fits a lid to the drink he was making and slides on a sleeve. The rest of Mingi's order is already finished and neatly slotted into a disposable tray, ready to go. Yunho unnecessarily points out which drink is which (Mingi can see the names of who they belong to on the lids and he nearly melts into a puddle at the little heart drawn after his own name) and their fingers brush when Yunho hands everything over.

Yunho meets his eye and his tone is overly casual when he asks, "what time do you finish tonight?"

"I, uh, um, I finish at seven." Mingi stutters. His cheeks are blazing. "Why?"

Yunho ducks his head, suddenly shy, "I was hoping I could, you know, pick you up after your shift and maybe take you out to dinner?"

He says the last part so quickly that it takes Mingi a long moment to process what he's just said but he can't help the grin that lights up his whole face when he finally does make sense of it.

"Like a date?" He asks. 

"Like a date." Yunho confirms. "You know, if you want to." 

"I'd love to." Mingi tells him. He's smiling so widely that he's worried his face is going to split in two. "Pick me up at half seven?" 

"Half seven it is." Yunho returns his smile. 

"It's nearly quarter past." San calls from the bottles fridge.

Mingi swears and then asks, "I'll see you at lunchtime?"

He always comes across to the coffee shop to grab a sandwich and juice for lunch.

"See you then." Yunho gives him a small wave. 

Mingi lingers for a moment longer before turning tail and jogging across the foyer and towards the ER department. He knows he's going to be in a huge heap of trouble but he doesn't mind too much. He has a date with Yunho! 

"You're late." Yeosang tuts at him when Mingi finally makes it to the ER reception. 

"Good morning!" Mingi says brightly and hands over Yeosang's drink before continuing on his way. There's no time to hang around and chat this morning. Not that he really wants to, he knows that Yeosang will get to the cause of his good mood within seconds and Mingi wants just a little bit longer to bask in this happy feeling before his friends begin their relentless teasing of him. 

"You're late." Wooyoung singsongs when Mingi arrives at the nurses' station. He makes grabby hands at the drinks tray and Mingi hands it over without a word. "You missed the handover."

"I'm sure you'll be able to catch me up." Mingi tells him. 

"Is this a heart I see on your cup, Song Mingi?" Wooyoung asks. 

"Is it?" Mingi pushes up his glasses and feigns ignorance, already backing away. "I didn't notice. Nope. Didn't notice the heart at all but one thing I did notice was that I am so, so late and I need to get changed this very instant before I get into more trouble." 

Wooyoung's cackle follows him into the staff area situated behind the nurses' station. He quickly walks into the men's locker room and gets changed into his long t-shirt and scrubs and deposits his backpack and street clothes into his locker. 

Hongjoong is in the main room of the staff area when he's finished getting changed. The doctor has the drink Mingi bought him in one hand and his pager in the other.

"Good morning." Mingi gives him a bright smile.

Hongjoong looks up at him and immediately pouts, "where is the heart on my cup, Song Mingi? Do you not love me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mingi tells him and makes a quick exit before Hongjoong can pout anymore.

He knows he's going to get teased all morning (maybe even all day?) about it but it doesn't bother him. He knows the  _ real _ teasing won't start until they find out about tonight's date and he's determined to keep that information to himself for as long as possible. He thinks their teasing will only make him more nervous and he desperately doesn't want to mess tonight up. He's been crushing on Yunho for months and months now.

Wooyoung is almost insufferable as he catches Mingi up on what he missed during the handover with the night shift but he stops when the head nurse appears. Mingi is immediately dragged into her office for a telling off and he forces himself to look contrite even if he's still riding the high of Yunho asking him out. He thinks he's lucky to get away with only a warning this time.

His morning passes quickly.

It's his job to carry out initial patient assessments. This means taking a note of symptoms, readings of vitals and carrying out various tests for them to be analysed by the lab or the on-duty doctors. He's one of the nurses that most patients meet when they're first admitted to the ER and he knows the importance of a positive attitude in helping those in need take their first steps towards recovery. Being positive is not a difficult thing to do this morning with the memory of Yunho's pink cheeks and wide smile so fresh in his memory. 

It helps as well that his patients this morning are not too seriously injured or ill. He deals with a suspected kidney infection, a couple of sprains and nasty looking cuts arising from a couple of crashes during this morning's rush hour and an old lady who is showing all the signs of heatstroke. He works mostly by himself or with Wooyoung who stitches up a couple of his patients after Mingi cleans their wounds. The resident that he's grown very fond of, and the only one he ever buys coffee for, joins him on a couple of his consultations, too. It's a good experience for Jongho, seeing the first steps taken with patients, and it helps him with his work with Hongjoong, giving his thoughts on diagnosis and treatments for patients. Mingi enjoys having Jongho around but he's glad that Jongho learns best by observing because he is not a very good teacher- not like Wooyoung or some of the other nurses. Mingi's speciality has always been his bedside manner. He hopes that's why Hongjoong likes to pair the two of them up so much rather than to try and teach Mingi a lesson.

A couple of minutes before Wooyoung is due back from his lunch break (and so a couple of minutes before Mingi is allowed to go on his), Mingi and Jongho get their trickiest patient of the day so far. It is not a case of life or death but the patient, an addict Mingi has treated a couple of times before, is accompanied by the two police officers who had picked him up and he slips between unresponsiveness and being extremely agitated. He has a head wound and is very obviously high but he doesn't do more than shout and spit at Mingi when he takes his vitals during a brief period of lucidity. It's a grim task and Mingi feels disgusting when the man manages to spit right in his face. It's not the worst thing he's had to deal with, though, not by a long stretch, but it still isn't pleasant. He knows he won't feel properly clean until he's able to wash his face once the assessment is finished and makes do with wiping his face with some blue paper towel. Thankfully, the man settles down once Mingi has managed to take his blood pressure. Jongho tries to ask him the usual questions about how he's feeling, how he had hurt himself and what he had taken but the man doesn't answer him. 

One of the police officers steps out to go retrieve something from their patrol car when Mingi is getting towards the end of his assessment and the second leaves a minute later, excusing himself to a quieter area of the hospital to answer his radio. Mingi doesn't think anything of it- he's worked with the police on enough cases now to know how they operate and to not pay too much notice to what they're doing. 

Seeing the second officer leave, however, seems to flip some kind of switch in the patient. One second he's quiet and docile and the next he's screaming and swinging his fists, a manic look in his previously deadened eyes. Both Mingi and Jongho immediately move to restrain him.

"Sir! You're okay, you're safe. You're in the hospital, you're not well- we're trying to help you." Mingi tells him, trying to keep his voice as even as possible even as he tries to wrestle the man back onto the bed. "Sir, please, we're trying to help you. You need to calm down. We're trying to help you." 

But this seems to infuriate the man more. 

He manages to get a fist loose and he punches Jongho in the face, sending him reeling backwards into the wall. Mingi's focus slips for the briefest of moments and it is enough for the man to push himself off the bed, pulling something from his boot as he does.

Mingi thinks he sees a flash of silver but he doesn't have time to think before the man is charging at him. Mingi reaches out to restrain him but the man catches him off guard with a flailing fist which is followed up by several heavy hits to his chest and abdomen.

Mingi's world explodes in pain and he can smell and taste blood.

Still, he pushes the man back, determined not to give up. He feels the bite of something sharp digging into the flesh of his arm and he sees the knife the man is holding. It is already dripping with blood.

"Code silver!" He tries to shout but his voice is weak and he's not sure that it carries. 

He feels dizzy.

He hears Jongho shout and suddenly he is there fighting the man with Mingi, too. He grabs the man's wrist and twists, causing the man to cry out and the knife to drop to the floor. Mingi stumbles forwards and kicks it clumsily away. 

There's an explosion of movement then but Mingi's ears are ringing and his vision is swimming and he doesn't really understand what he's seeing. 

Jongho's face looms large in front of his own but Mingi struggles to focus on it. He can see Jongho's mouth moving, knows that he's speaking, but he can't hear anything. 

He reaches out with shaking hands, looking for support as his knees grow weak, and Jongho grasps at his arms and slows his descent to the floor as his legs give way entirely.

There's blood on Jongho's face and in Mingi's mouth and it is choking him. 

He sees Wooyoung's face alongside Jongho's. Hongjoong's, too. Their lips are in constant movement but there's no sound. 

Mingi's vision fades to grey and then black.


	2. Seonghwa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this on mobile so hopefully the formatting is okay!
> 
> TW- blood and surgery

Seonghwa is pleased with how his day has gone so far. Being on call for emergency surgery can often be stressful, never knowing what might be coming his way, but his day has been relatively peaceful. All he's had to do this morning is an appendectomy on a young man who had almost left it too late to get himself to the hospital. 

He thinks that, maybe, he'll be able to get through his entire lunch break without any kind of emergency. He wouldn't mind that, especially as he has plans to meet Hongjoong in the cafeteria for a rare shared lunch date. 

The rest of his team are talking about the successful surgery and their plans for the upcoming weekend now that they're changed out of their dirty scrubs and into fresh ones but he doesn't pay them any mind. His thoughts, instead, are of his husband and he finds his mind wandering to what they're going to eat for lunch as he scrubs down from the appendectomy. His movements are slow and methodical and he doesn't really need to think about what he's doing. He's done it hundreds of times by now.

He wonders how Hongjoong's morning has gone, if it has been as quiet as his own. They'd both been in such a good mood that morning when they'd set off for work and Seonghwa hopes Hongjoong's good mood has persisted. He's looking forward to seeing his husband's beautiful smile over lunch. It's not as common a sight as it had been when they'd first met.

At least Hongjoong has good friends in his department, Seonghwa thinks. Yeosang on reception and the nurses Wooyoung and Mingi, even the new resident Jongho. They've all been very good for Hongjoong and Seonghwa enjoys hearing about their antics, loves seeing the way Hongjoong seems to light up when talking about them- especially Mingi who Hongjoong seems to have adopted as a younger brother. Having spent time with all of them at various dinners and events, Seonghwa can understand why. He just wishes he could have the same type of relationship with his own team but he understands the distance. Surgery is a high pressure environment and it does not always bring out the best in people.

It is when he's drying himself off that there's an alert over the tannoy of an incoming patient. He sighs, knowing he will have to stand Hongjoong up once again, and he hears groans from a couple of the others.

"It looks like lunch will have to wait, huh?" Hyojin, one of the scrub techs, says.

"It looks like it." He murmurs and hopes that Hongjoong won't be too disappointed.

The tannoy warns of what's coming - male, mid 20s, multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen - and Seonghwa psyches himself up. The next few hours are going to need all of his concentration to get through with any hope of a successful outcome.

He moves quickly to scrub in, his team moving rapidly around him to do the same, and he waits his turn to be helped into a fresh apron, cap, mask and gloves. 

He gets into the OR just as the gurney crashes through the double doors leading in from the hallway. He sees Hongjoong first. He's covered in blood - his white coat and scrubs soaked with it, his unusually pale face streaked with it - and he's barking orders at his team as he sits astride the patient on the gurney. He has his fingers pressed against one of the wounds, no doubt blocking a bleeder, and Seonghwa knows that he will have to work quickly to stop the patient from bleeding out.

He spots Wooyoung amongst the ER staff who has accompanied the gurney into the operating room, standing at the patient's head, pumping oxygen into their lungs. Seonghwa's shocked by the tears on his cheeks. He frowns, not understanding.

Then he sees the scrubs the patient is wearing and he falters.

Who-? 

"Seonghwa." Hongjoong's voice is hoarse. "It's Mingi." 

Seonghwa's eyes widen but he jumps straight into action. He calls out for what he needs from his team, his brain working a mile a minute as he assesses the situation, works out what he needs to do to keep Mingi alive. 

Because Mingi- Mingi is Hongjoong's sunshine, has been ever since he'd started in the ER a couple of years ago. Seonghwa has never seen his husband be so soft with anyone before, not even his own flesh and blood. 

"Seonghwa." Hongjoong's voice is strained and Seonghwa can see him shaking. "I don't think I can-."

"You can. Just hold on a little bit longer." Seonghwa interrupts, eyes desperately trying to make sense of just what he needs to do. There is so much blood everywhere and Mingi's vitals are dropping quickly. "He needs intubating."

That's not his job so he doesn't focus on his team working to replace Wooyoung forcing oxygen into Mingi's lungs with a machine, instead he peers around Hongjoong's fingers and calculates what he needs and how he's going to do it.

There are calls for blood and of rapidly falling sats but none of them register like Hongjoong's quiet, "I can't."

"You move your finger a second too soon and he's dead." Seonghwa warns him. He needs to wait for them to finish intubating Mingi first- any disruption while he's trying to clamp and then stitch up the bleed could spell death. "Just a minute more, we're nearly there." 

He calls for suction and glances up at Mingi's vitals and knows they're not going to get any better if he doesn't act now.

He waits, ready to move as soon as Mingi is intubated, and time seems to stretch on into eternity. 

'This is taking too long.' He thinks. 'This is taking too long.'

But then comes the nod and it is time.

He steels himself, "now!"

Hongjoong immediately removes his finger and Seonghwa ignores the spurt of blood that follows the movement. Alarms start blaring but he just focuses on clamping the artery shut. Nothing else matters if they can't get this damn bleed stopped.

"BP's down to 70/40." He's warned. "Pulse 200."

"I can't see a thing." He mutters even as suction is applied. 

"V-tach!"

And then, finally, "got it!"

"Charge the paddles."

Seonghwa risks looking at Hongjoong as the paddles are applied to Mingi's chest. He's stood to the side now, Wooyoung next to him, and he looks so young and lost and devastated that he can't stand it. 

"Clear!"

"We are not losing him." He declares between gritted teeth. 

And they don't.

It is touch and go and Mingi crashes once more before the surgery ends but he pulls through by some small miracle. Seonghwa runs entirely on adrenaline, feeling more determined than he's ever felt before, and he's exhausted once it's finally over. 

He staggers into the wash up room once Mingi has been rolled out of the OR and towards the recovery room. He is helped out of his apron, mask and gloves before he washes up and gets changed into fresh scrubs. The room is thick with tension as the surgical team scrub out. It is not often that they treat one of their own. 

Seonghwa tries not to think about how close it had been. He has done everything he can- the rest is up to Mingi. 

He goes over to recovery afterwards and he isn't surprised to see Hongjoong at Mingi's bedside. He's showered and changed into a fresh set of scrubs but he still looks so heartbreakingly devastated that Seonghwa can't help but feel sick. 

He goes to him quickly and is relieved when Hongjoong melts into his arms and allows Seonghwa to hold him close.

"What happened?" He asks, pressing a kiss into Hongjoong's still damp hair.

"Cops brought an addict in with a head wound and didn't check him properly for weapons before leaving him alone with Mingi and Jongho." Hongjoong explains, his voice flat. 

"Is Jongho okay?"

Hongjoong nods, "a few cuts and bruises. He's pretty shook up but he'll be okay."

"That's good." Seonghwa murmurs.

"He did good today, probably saved Mingi's life." Hongjoong tells him. "I'm proud of him."

"Have you told him?" 

"I will." Hongjoong says.

They stand together like that for a couple of minutes more before Hongjoong pulls away. Seonghwa watches as he runs his fingers through Mingi's hair before going to check Mingi's chart.

"Do they not need you down in the ER?" He asks.

Hongjoong shakes his head, not looking away from Mingi's slack face, "they're rerouting ambulances to other hospitals while the police do what they need to do so it's just walk-ins at the moment. Wooyoung said he'll page me if I'm needed."

"You should go down anyway." Seonghwa tells him. He looks at his watch and is surprised by the time. "There's only an hour left of your shift, it'll do you good to have a distraction for a little while at least. I can keep Mingi company until his family get here." 

"He doesn't have any family." Hongjoong's voice is bitter but Seonghwa doesn't pry.

"I'll keep him company then until you're finished. I'm not going to be needed if they're rerouting the ambulances so I can stay with him." 

Hongjoong gives him a tired smile just as his pager buzzes. 

"I'll be back up soon." He says.

Seonghwa nods and watches him leave before taking his place at the head of the bed.

It's going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pls let me know what you think


	3. Yunho

Yunho is a bundle of nerves all day. 

An unusually busy lunchtime rush after a torturously slow morning means that the end of his shift comes around quicker than expected. He's glad of it, though- he needs to get away from San and his teasing if he's going to make it to half seven without going insane. He's disappointed that he doesn't see Mingi at lunchtime but he's heard whispers of some kind of commotion in the ER so he's not surprised. It happens often enough.

He goes grocery shopping on the way home and briefly stops at his parents' place to drop a couple of things off for them. His mom takes one look at him and he knows that she's worked out that he has a date with Mingi just by his smile.

"You look very happy." She says, a smile lighting up her own face. "I take it you finally asked that nurse of yours out?"

"We're going for dinner tonight." Yunho tells her. He feels giddy with excitement and nerves.

"Finally!" His dad calls from the other room.

"Where are you taking him? Are you going to get him flowers?" His mother asks. "You've been pining long enough, Jeong Yunho, you can't mess this up!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence!" He rolls his eyes. Then his stomach twists and he feels suddenly sick. "I've not planned where to take him, I thought we could decide together… His shifts are long so I didn't want to- oh, God, I'm going to mess this up." 

His mom pauses in putting away the groceries Yunho had brought and pats his cheeks, "go prepared with a choice of places - somewhere nice but not too nice if you're picking him up straight from work - and let him decide if he doesn't already have somewhere in mind. The flowers are non-negotiable, they'll show you thought about him and that you're taking the date seriously."

"Is it not a bit much for a first date?" Yunho asks, cheeks heating up. "I don't want to embarrass myself- or him." 

"Do you want this to go well?" It's her turn to roll her eyes at him. "Get him flowers."

He goes to the florist his mother recommends and spends far too long agonising all the different bouquets on sale before choosing one of the more simple arrangements. The flowers' colours are bright and happy and make Yunho think of Mingi. He hopes he'll like them.

It's nearing half four when he gets home so he showers once he's put his groceries away and the flowers in water. He shaves his face and does his hair and he agonises far too long over the state of his wardrobe, even going as far as sending outfit options to San for a second opinion. 

San is of little help.

"Just wear whatever you'd usually wear for dinner with friends." He says, having called Yunho seconds after having been sent the last outfit option. "You look good in all your clothes."

"I don't want to look just  _ good  _ though." Yunho tells him. 

"You're picking him up after a 12-hour shift, you know he's going to look like shit. You want to make it look like you've made an effort but you don't want to show him up." 

"You're not making things any easier." Yunho grumbles but they eventually decide on a pair of light coloured jeans, print tee and flannel shirt. 

Yunho feels good about himself when he leaves his apartment just before seven. There's more traffic than he's expecting and it takes him forever to find a parking space so it's already half past by the time he's walking into the hospital foyer. He's expecting Mingi to be waiting for him already so he's a little disappointed that he isn't. He figures that he must have gotten held up so he waits by the entryway, butterflies in full force, and grips the small bouquet of flowers tightly with shaking hands. 

He waits.

And he waits and he waits.

It gets to eight o'clock and there's still no sign of Mingi anywhere. 

He doesn't think he's been stood up - he doesn't think Mingi is the type of guy to do that and he'd seemed as excited as Yunho had when he'd asked him out that morning - so he heads towards the ER to see if he can find out what the hold up is.

There are a lot of police in the ER waiting room and it makes something uneasy twist in his gut. 

"Can I help you?" The receptionist asks, eyeing his flowers. It's a different receptionist to the one who takes the morning shift. He doesn't think he's seen her around before. 

"Yes, I, erm, was supposed to be meeting-."

"Yunho?" A familiar voice interrupts. 

It's Wooyoung.

He's dressed in his street clothes, a rucksack on his back, and Yunho can't help but think that he looks tired and small. The new resident, the one whose black americano has recently made its way onto Mingi's morning coffee order, is stood next to him looking similarly dressed down and exhausted. Yunho thinks he can see a bruise blossoming on one side of his face but he's certain that it must be a trick of the lights.

"What are you doing here?" Wooyoung asks him. 

Yunho feels himself blush as he nods down at the flowers he's holding, "I'm here to pick up Mingi. We, uh, we're supposed to be going on a date- for dinner, I mean. Do you know where he is? He was meant to meet me at half seven but he didn't show. I figured he'd been caught up or something." 

"You- you've got a date?" Wooyoung asks, eyes widening, and the uneasy feeling is back in full force. 

"Yeah, did he not- didn't he say?" Yunho asks. He feels sick. Maybe he'd read the signals wrong, after all. "Has he gone home for the day or something?"

Wooyoung and Jongho share a look and Yunho feels his heart plummet all the way through his chest and into his stomach. He had. He had read the signals wrong and, and-. 

He can't believe what an idiot he's been.

Of course it was too good to be true. What could someone like Mingi - a fully qualified nurse and the sweetest human being Yunho has ever had the pleasure of meeting - ever see in him? He's not wealthy or successful. He's just a barista.

The hand with the flowers in drops to his side and he rubs at his eyes to disguise the sting of tears. He's a grown man. This shouldn't hurt as much as it is hurting and he definitely shouldn't be crying about this in public like some pre-teen who has been told their favourite pop star has just got engaged. It really shouldn't hurt this much. Even if he has been crushing on Mingi for the longest time, maybe even fallen for him…

Had daydreamed about their lives together.

"I'm going to just… I'm going to go." He turns to leave, wanting to be anywhere but there.

One of them grabs at his arm and stops him.

It's Jongho. 

"You didn't hear?" He asks.

"Hear what?" Yunho's stomach twists. 

"Mingi… There was an  _ incident _ earlier, a patient got violent and Mingi- he got hurt."

Yunho feels the blood drain from his face and the world begins to spin, "what?"

There are tears streaming down Wooyoung's cheeks that he doesn't even try to wipe away and Jongho looks sick.

"He's not in a good way." Jongho tells him, his voice soft.

"He's going to be okay, right?" Yunho asks. 

He feels like he's going to throw up. This can't be real. It can't be… The devastation on Wooyoung and Jongho's faces is not something that can be faked. 

"He's not going to-?" He hears himself ask.

He can't get himself to say it.

"We don't know yet, it's still touch and go." Wooyoung's voice is thick with tears. "We've just been to visit him. He's in recovery still so we shouldn't have gone, really, but… We can take him your flowers if you want? We can't put them in the room with him but if we put them on the nurses' station then he might be able to see them if -  _ when _ \- he wakes up." 

Yunho hands over the flowers.

He feels numb.

"Can you keep me updated? Please?" He asks. His voice is shaking.

"Of course." Jongho gives him a kind smile.

"He really likes you, you know. We spent all morning teasing him about the heart you drew on his cup and he blushed every time." Wooyoung smiles even as tears continue to run down his cheeks. "We've all been bugging him about asking you out for weeks. He's been crushing on you so hard."

"When he gets better…" Yunho clears his throat and tries not to burst into tears. 

"When he gets better." Wooyoung agrees. 

Yunho leaves then, moving through the hospital as if on autopilot. He gets into his car and leans his head against the steering wheel and he  _ sobs _ .

Tears and snot stream down his face and his whole body shakes with how hard he's crying. His chest and his throat ache fiercely as he struggles to breathe between each gut-wrenching sob. 

He doesn't think he's ever cried so hard before. Not even when his grandparents had died. He doesn't know what it is that he's crying about exactly- whether it's the jolting halt to all the hope and happiness he's been feeling all day, that someone would hurt someone as sweet and kind as Mingi, or whether it's the waste of so much potential time together that they now may never have. Maybe it's all three or something else entirely. Whatever it is, it hurts in a way that Yunho has never hurt before. 

He's exhausted when he finally stops crying but he doesn't want to be alone. He thinks about going to his parents' house but it's getting late and he doesn't want to upset them. He calls San instead.

"Aren't you supposed to be on a date?" San says when he answers the phone instead of 'hello' and Yunho can hear the smirk in his voice. "Or are you calling for more tips? You have come to the right place. I am, after all, an expert in the bedro-."

"Can I come over?" Yunho interrupts.

San's tone instantly changes to one of concern, "what's happened? Are you okay?"

" _ Please _ ." Yunho's voice breaks.

"Of course, of course you can come over. Buzz the intercom when you get here and I'll let you right in." 

Afterwards, Yunho won't remember the drive to San's apartment building. One moment he's curled around his steering wheel in the hospital's parking lot and the next he's curled into San's side on his friend's cramped sofa, crying once more.

To his credit, San doesn't ask any questions before Yunho is ready to answer them. Instead he rubs Yunho's back and plies him with fresh tissues and helps him feel less alone even as the world shakes apart around him. 

"You feel better?" San asks once Yunho is finally,  _ finally  _ done crying.

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Yunho is too exhausted to feel much embarrassment. 

"Don't worry, it happens." San shrugs and he ruffles Yunho's hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Yunho isn't sure but his mouth opens and a mess of words tumble out. He tells San about waiting at the hospital, thinking that he'd been stood up and then the conversation he'd had with Wooyoung and Jongho. 

"Didn't they say what happened?" 

Yunho shakes his head, "no and I didn't think to ask but it had to have been bad. They looked… I don't know. That Jongho kid had bruises on his face, I thought it was just the lighting at first but they were definitely bruises."

"If there were loads of police there then it'll be on the internet." San tells him. 

Yunho wipes at his face with a fresh tissue as San searches the internet on his phone. It isn't long before he finds something- an article from one of the local news sites.

San swears as he reads the article, "this looks bad."

Yunho glances at the articles and sees phrases like 'multiple stab wounds' and 'critical condition' and knows he can't read anymore without bursting into tears once more.

"What if he dies?" Yunho asks. "What if he dies and we never get to-."

"Don't think like that." San tells him. "You can't, it'll only end up eating you up inside."

Yunho ends up spending the night on San's sofa but he doesn't get much sleep beyond the initial couple of hours. He leaves just after four and goes back to his own apartment to shower and change into his work uniform. He's at the hospital by a quarter past five, even though his shift is not meant to start until six, and he's finished with prep and opening up the shop before San even gets there. 

"You look like shit." He says but otherwise doesn't comment and for that Yunho is grateful. He doesn't have the energy to try and explain himself. 

They open up the shop nearly half an hour early and they get a mix of those just finishing the night shift and others just starting their days taking advantage of the extra opening time. Yunho is glad for the opportunity to feel busy. He's spent the whole night thinking and overthinking and he's thankful for the respite from his own mind. 

There's a small lull just before seven when Hongjoong and the quiet, serious man Yunho knows to be his husband arrive. They both look exhausted, Hongjoong especially, and Yunho feels guilty for not thinking about Mingi's family and friends in all of this.

"Good morning." Yunho forces himself to smile as he signs into the register, San currently in the back getting more takeout cups. "Do you want me to do Mingi's usual order? Except for, except for, you know…" 

"Please." Hongjoong looks relieved that he doesn't have to try and remember everyone's drinks. "And a latte, too, for Seonghwa." 

Yunho nods, not trusting himself to speak, and he keys the order into the register for Hongjoong to pay before getting the drinks started.

He doesn't say anything to them again until the drinks are ready but he can hear Hongjoong and Seonghwa speak to each other in words too quiet to make out. He thinks he's glad he can't hear. 

"How is he doing?" He asks before they leave. 

"Better." Hongjoong gives him a small smile. "He was stable enough to be moved to the ICU at about eleven last night and his vitals are getting to where we want them to be. He's fighting."

"Good." Yunho tries to return Hongjoong's smile. He's not sure if he manages it.

Hongjoong picks up the tray of drinks and then pauses, as if he's debating on whether or not to say more. Seonghwa puts a hand on his arm and squeezes, reassuring him, and something deep in Yunho's chest  _ aches _ . 

He wants that with Mingi _so badly_.

"I saw the flowers you got him… The colours are nice." Hongjoong says at last, not looking at him. "He's a hopeless romantic even if he claims not to be. You should get him flowers again when he's better- pink roses are his favourite."

Yunho nods, not quite sure what else to say.

He prays it won't be too long before he's allowed to give Mingi those roses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pls let me know what you think!


	4. Hongjoong

Hongjoong doesn't get any sleep that night.

They get home from the hospital close to midnight. Seonghwa heats them up some leftovers and Hongjoong, who hasn't eaten since breakfast that morning, wolfs down two platefuls without thought. He doesn't think he even tastes it. He feels better afterwards, though, less shaky and on edge and Seonghwa seems relieved. It makes Hongjoong wonder how worried he's been. 

Seonghwa insists on going to bed afterwards even if Hongjoong is too keyed up to sleep. He can't take his eyes off his phone resting on the bedside table. He'd told the team in charge of Mingi's care to call him if there was any kind of change in his condition and he is dreading it going off, knowing it will only be bad news. Seonghwa understands. He just kisses Hongjoong's neck and holds him close, even after he's fallen asleep.

Hongjoong gets up at four, not able to stand it any longer. He grabs his phone and moves into the bathroom, closing the door so as to not wake Seonghwa, and puts a call into the ICU. He's relieved to hear that Mingi's vitals have stabilised but he's disappointed that there's been no further improvements. The on-duty doctor is positive even if Mingi hasn't yet triggered the ventilator, showing no sign of his body beginning to breathe on its own again. 

Hongjoong showers afterwards. The warm water soothes his tired body and he lets go enough to finally let himself cry. He hopes the water and the closed door is enough to muffle the sound. He doesn't want to make Seonghwa worry.

Hongjoong should know better, though, especially after all these years together. 

Seonghwa is awake when he's finished in the shower and Hongjoong knows by the look on his face that he'd heard him but his husband doesn't say anything, just squeezes his arm as he passes on his way into the bathroom. It isn't much but it's just what Hongjoong needs. He will be forever grateful to whatever higher powers brought Seonghwa into his life. He doesn't think there is anyone more perfect for him than him and he knows just how lucky he is to have him. 

Hongjoong makes them toast and eggs while Seonghwa finishes getting ready and they're out of the house as soon as they're finished. Seonghwa drives and they're at the hospital by half five. They walk through the empty foyer and see the tall figure of Yunho setting up for the day in the coffee shop. It's early, earlier than normal, but neither of them say anything. Wooyoung and Jongho had told them about the conversation they'd had the previous night and Hongjoong's heart aches for him. 

Mingi has been given his own room in the ICU but the large glass window doesn't allow any kind of privacy. Hongjoong knows it's necessary but he knows, too, that Mingi will be uncomfortable with it once he's well enough to process everything that's happened. Mingi has always been good at hiding his vulnerabilities behind big smiles and shows of too much confidence. He will be horrified to know that his friends, the people that he works with, have seen him at his weakest. 

"Good morning, Mingi." Hongjoong says though he knows he won't get a response, forcing himself to smile, once they've let themselves into his room. He runs his fingers through Mingi's lank hair and watches the monitor displaying Mingi's vitals for a little while. "You're doing better this morning. You just need to keep fighting, okay? You'll be back on your feet in no time." 

It's a lie. 

Whatever happens, whether he improves at a miraculous rate or not, Mingi has a long journey ahead of him. Hongjoong is convinced Mingi will recover, he has to be, because it hurts too much to consider the alternative. He can't lose a member of his team, his family, and especially not Mingi.

"Let's go get some coffee." Seonghwa says as the clock approaches seven. "It's going to be a long day and we'll both need something to get us through." 

Hongjoong gives Mingi's limp hand one last squeeze and looks over his vitals once more before nodding, "I should get the coffee round this morning. Usually it's Mingi because he… He's always the last one in."

"I know. I've heard you complain about him being late more times than I can count." Seonghwa smiles at him. His words are soft and Hongjoong doesn't have to look to see the fondness in his eyes. He knows it's there. 

"All so he can see his barista." Hongjoong tells him and he has to bite his bottom lip to keep it from trembling. 

Yunho smiles at them as he serves them even though he looks awful, his skin pale and his eyes red. Hongjoong feels terrible for him and for Mingi, too, because they had finally taken that first step after months of them being ridiculously oblivious to just how much they liked each other and now… And now, it has all been snatched away from them. He hopes and prays that they'll get their chance to be happy together when Mingi is better. 

"How do you know Mingi's favourite flower?" Seonghwa asks as he walks Hongjoong to the ER department. "We didn't know each other's until we were planning the wedding."

Hongjoong can't help but laugh, "every valentine's day he goes on and on about how romantic they are and how pretty- there hasn't been a single year since I met him where he hasn't told me to get you some as a valentine's gift." 

Seonghwa laughs, too, "I hate roses."

"I know- he never listens." Hongjoong tells him.

Seonghwa kisses him on the cheek when they part ways and Hongjoong feels better, lighter, for thinking about happy memories and being able to laugh about them. It helps him more than he realises he needed.

The ER is fully open once more and there are no signs of what had happened the day before except for the sombre mood of the staff and the bruises on Jongho's face. Hongjoong is glad for a busy morning so that he doesn't have too much time to think. A pile up on the highway means that they're busy until well after lunch and they then spend the afternoon playing catch up with all the walk-ins. 

Hongjoong doesn't get to take his first first break of the day until late afternoon. He grabs a sandwich from the cafetiera that he wolfs down on his way to the ICU. He talks to the on-duty doctor on the ICU and is disappointed that there have been no improvements in Mingi's condition since he'd last seen him.

"You need to keep on fighting." He tells Mingi. 

The next day passes much the same and so does the day after that. It isn't until the fourth day after the attack that Mingi begins to trigger the ventilator and the tube down his throat is replaced with an oxygen mask. It is a relief when that happens and a tension that Hongjoong hadn't even known he was feeling seeps from his bones. 

Mingi is going to be okay. 

Hongjoong has a day off on the fifth day after the attack and he spends it at Mingi's bedside. The younger has shown signs of coming to at last, his fingers twitching and his eyelids fluttering, and Hongjoong is desperate to be there when he finally wakes. 

He's in luck.

It's mid-morning and Hongjoong has only been back in Mingi's room for a couple of minutes after stepping out to use the bathroom when he feels Mingi's hand weakly squeeze his own.

"Mingi?" Hongjoong asks. His heart is pounding. "Mingi? Can you hear me?"

Mingi groans and one of his eyes cracks open before closing again. 

"That's it, wake up for me." Hongjoong is smiling so widely that his face hurts. He grasps Mingi's hand tightly in his own. "Come on, Mingi." 

Slowly, slowly, Mingi opens both eyes.

"There you go." Hongjoong says. "There you go." 

Mingi stares him blankly for a long moment and then his eyes slip shut and he falls back into unconsciousness once more.

He does this a couple more times as the morning goes on and Hongjoong becomes more and more relieved every time that it happens. He manages to get Mingi to drink something as lunchtime approaches and he makes sure to message all their friends the good news about Mingi finally waking up. He knows they've all been as worried as he has.

"How are you feeling?" Hongjoong asks Mingi that afternoon when it looks like he's going to stay awake longer than a couple of minutes.

"Not good." Mingi responds, his voice deep and raspy. "Tired." 

"Are you in any pain?" 

"No… I don't know? Maybe just-." Mingi scrunches up his face as he tries to think. "Just tired." 

"That's okay, that's normal, your body has been through a lot." Hongjoong tells him. Mingi's eyes flutter closed. "Hey, stay awake a little bit longer, okay? Just a couple of minutes more." 

Mingi drags his eyes open, "Hongjoong…"

"So, you remember who I am? That's good. I would have been very upset if you didn't." Hongjoong tries to tease. Mingi is too out of it to give him the reaction he's looking for. He doesn't mind- Mingi is finally awake!

He has Mingi flex his hands and move his toes and then drink some more. 

"Do you remember what happened?" Hongjoong asks. 

Mingi begins to shake his head and then freezes, his eyes going wide, "Jongho!" 

He tries to sit up but Hongjoong won't let him. He puts his hands on Mingi's shoulders and, gently, pushes him backwards onto the bed. 

"Jongho!" Mingi's voice cracks. "Jongho, he-."

"Jongo's fine, Jongho is okay, he didn't get hurt." Hongjoong rushes to reassure him, eyes flicking to the monitor with Mingi's vitals on. "It's okay- he's safe, you're both safe."

"Knife!" Mingi's eyes slide from Hongjoong's face and his breathing is too quick. "There's… There's a knife!"

Hongjoong scrambles half onto the bed in his haste to wrap his arms around Mingi's shoulders. There's an alarm blaring but Hongjoong ignores it and instead is as gentle as possible as he pulls Mingi to his chest. He's grateful that Mingi doesn't try to fight him.

Mingi instead clings to the front of Hongjoong's t-shirt with weak fists as he struggles to catch his breath and Hongjoong rocks him and kisses the top of his head.

"You're okay." Hongjoong repeats over and over. A couple of nurses have entered the room but they leave at the look he shoots them over Mingi's head. "You're okay." 

Eventually, eventually, Mingi's breathing slows and the alarm stops. Hongjoong doesn't let go though. He wants Mingi to know he's safe, that he's there with him. 

"Hongjoong?" He sounds exhausted.

"Go to sleep." Hongjoong tells him. "I'll be here when you wake up." 

Hongjoong waits until his breaths grow deep and even before easing him back down onto the bed. He's shaking, he realises as he brushes a lock of hair from Mingi's clammy forehead, and there are tears in his eyes. 

He has never seen Mingi like that- not once, not even after the worst of days. He hates it. Mingi is so soft and sweet and kind, he doesn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to be hurt and he doesn't deserve the scars - both physical and emotional - that he'll have from this for the rest of his life. It isn't fair.

Mingi is calmer when he wakes again that afternoon. He smiles when he sees Hongjoong at his bedside and Hongjoong can't help but smile back. Mingi's smile has always been infectious.

"You're still here." Mingi says.

"Of course." Hongjoong tells him. "Where else would I be?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!! Last chap will be up at the weekend, life permitting.


	5. Mingi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter!

Mingi is exhausted.

It's the first time he's been out of bed since  _ that day  _ and he's panting and trembling from just making a circuit of his tiny room. He feels pathetic.

"Don't pull that face." Jongho tells him sharply. "It was only nine days ago that Seonghwa was stitching you up. You're doing amazing to be up and out of bed at all at this stage." 

It's Jongho's day off today and he's spending it at the hospital with Mingi keeping him company now that he's able to stay awake for more than a handful of minutes at a time. Mingi had protested, of course, not wanting the younger to waste one of his precious free days cooped up at the hospital, when Jongho had shown up first thing that morning with an armful of board games and books but Jongho had ignored him.

"Someone has to keep you out of trouble." He'd said and that had been that.

Mingi is grateful to him. He doesn't think there are many people that he'd willingly let see him in the condition he's in now but Jongho is one of them. They haven't known each other for too long, only a few months, but there's a warmth and sincerity to Jongho that Mingi really likes. He's going to be an amazing doctor once he's finished his training.

"Do you want something to eat?" Jongho asks, already pouring Mingi a glass of juice. "It's almost lunchtime but I can go grab you something if you can't wait?" 

"Isn't Wooyoung bringing lunch?" Mingi asks, leaning back in bed and closing his eyes. His stomach turns at the idea of food. He's not had much of an appetite since he'd woken.

"Have you decided what you want yet?" Jongho asks. Wooyoung is going to pick them something up from the cafeteria on his way up from the ER. "You've got less than an hour." 

Mingi makes a noise but doesn't answer. 

Jongho lets out a huff of air, "have you always been this stubborn?" 

"I'm tired." Mingi whines. "And everything hurts."

He isn't lying. His chest and stomach have been on fire since he'd woken up that morning and moving around has only made things worse. He's strangely thankful that he's so exhausted- it has numbed the worst of the pain. He hasn't wanted to complain, though, knowing that the doctor in charge of his care is trying to wean him off the high dose of pain medication he's been on as he begins to recover. 

"Do you need your pain meds turning up again?" Jongho asks and Mingi doesn't even have to look to know that he's frowning. 

Mingi makes another noise and falls asleep without meaning to. 

Jongho nudges him awake when Wooyoung arrives with lunch. It takes him a couple of minutes (and a few more nudges from both Jongho and Wooyoung) to fully come to and he still feels groggy even when the bed is moved to a reclining position and he's sat upright. 

"You don't look too good, baby." Wooyoung coos, brushing hair away from Mingi's forehead. "A rough morning?"

"He went for a walk earlier." Jongho tells him and Mingi thinks he sounds far too happy for what was just a couple of steps around the room- most of which he'd been supporting Mingi's deadweight for. 

Wooyoung's face lights up, "that's great news!"

"It was just around the room." Mingi winces as he shifts, trying to get more comfortable. "And Jongho practically carried me." 

Jongho rolls his eyes, "I did not."

"Have you told Hongjoong?" Wooyoung asks even as Mingi says, "did, too."

Jongho ignores him, "he's coming up later, I thought he might want to see it for himself."

"Again?" Mingi asks with a groan.

"It'll make him really happy." Wooyoung says. 

Mingi knows it's true. Hongjoong has spent every spare minute he has with him, fussing over him and making sure he's doing as okay as he can be. Every step forward, no matter how small, has been celebrated like a major victory and Mingi knows he hasn't been as appreciative as he should be. Hongjoong has been so good to him and Mingi knows that there's nothing that he could ever do that would pay him back for everything he has done. 

Hongjoong and all his friends- they've been amazing. They have given up so much of their time to be with him and to make sure he feels cared for and loved. They're all being so positive and encouraging and Mingi loves them for it. He wants to be kind to them in turn, wants to be the same happy person for them that he was before, but he's so exhausted and in so much pain that it feels impossible. 

He feels empty. 

"Mingi?" Wooyoung taps him on the cheek. "Are you okay? You just zoned out on us."

He forces a smile, "I'm fine."

Wooyoung clucks his tongue but he doesn't say anything more as he unpacks their lunch and sets it out on the overbed table. 

Jongho and Wooyoung chat as they eat, discussing whatever gossip Yeosang had shared with Wooyoung that morning from the nightshift, but Mingi doesn't join in. They're talking a bit too quickly and he struggles to keep up so he stops trying after a little while and instead focuses on pushing his lunch around with his chopsticks. He doesn't have much of an appetite but he doesn't want it to look like he's not even trying. 

"I thought I might bring us sandwiches and drinks up from the coffee shop tomorrow." Wooyoung mentions almost too casually once they're done eating. "How does a hot chocolate and whipped cream sound?" 

"Good." Mingi doesn't look at him. 

He's tried very hard to not think of Yunho and the chance he'd had with him that he's now lost. There's no way Yunho is going to want anything to do with him when he's like this and Mingi knows that he'll probably have moved on and found someone else by the time he's fully fit again- if he hasn't already. Mingi had stood him up, after all, even if it had been completely out of his control. 

It had been too good to be true, anyway. Mingi knows this now. There's nothing special about him- he's not funny or good looking like Yunho is, he doesn't have any hobbies or much of a life outside of work. He knows that Yunho teaches dance on the weekend and has a huge circle of friends that, if social media is anything to go by, he spends a huge amount of time with. 

What could Yunho possibly have seen in him?

"What are you sulking about now?" Jongho asks him. He pokes him in the side, where he knows Mingi isn't hurt.

"I'm not sulking, I'm just  _ thinking _ ." Mingi says and he pouts out of instinct. 

Wooyoung pinches his cheeks, "are you thinking about  _ Yunho  _ by any chance? He asks after you every time I see him, you know." 

Mingi doesn't know what to say. He doubts that Yunho is asking about him for any reason but pity. Curiosity, too, maybe. He doesn't doubt that what had happened to him and his recovery since has been fueling the hospital's gossip mills since  _ that day _ . The idea makes him feel very uncomfortable. 

Jongho pokes him again, a little harder this time, "you are definitely sulking." 

"I'm not, I'm just… I'm tired." 

Wooyoung's face softens and he fusses with Mingi's hair and then his blankets. It's very sweet and Mingi feels guilty for not laughing and joking like he usually would. 

"Don't pull that face." Wooyoung frowns.

"What face?" Mingi forces himself to smile. 

"It's okay to not be okay." Wooyoung tells him. "We understand. You don't have to pretend with us." 

Mingi falls asleep soon after Wooyoung leaves and he doesn't wake up again until early evening when Hongjoong and Seonghwa arrive with dinner. It's from an actual restaurant rather than just hospital food and it smells so good but Mingi still struggles to eat much of anything. He just isn't hungry and the idea of forcing himself to eat makes him feel sick. He knows Hongjoong notices and he feels awful when he sees the worry on his face.

"Are you going to help me up?" Mingi asks Jongho once the others have finished eating and the leftovers have been packed away. He's tired even though he's spent most of the day sleeping and he's in a lot of pain but he wants to give Hongjoong something to smile about. 

It's the least he can do.

Hongjoong's eyes widen, "what's this?"

"Just watch." Jongho's smile is bright.

Jongho is careful as he helps Mingi untangle himself from his blankets and then swing his legs down. The tiled floor is cold underneath Mingi's feet but he ignores the shiver that runs up his spine as he stands. 

"Mingi!" Hongjoong nearly shouts, the surprise and the joy in his voice clear.

Mingi tries not to lean on Jongho as he shuffles to the otherside of the room and instead uses his IV stand to steady himself. He feels shaky and a bit light headed but also incredibly pleased with himself when he reaches his destination. Hongjoong and Seonghwa are cheering and Mingi can't help but grin.

"He's showing off." Jongho tells them, rolling his eyes but, somehow, still managing to look incredibly fond. "I had to practically carry him this morning." 

"You did not." Mingi is out of breath even if he tries to pretend that he isn't. "I did a whole lap of the room without any kind of help."

"Liar." 

"I haven't lied even once since birth." Mingi shoots back.

"Have you two always bickered like children?" Seonghwa asks, looking amused.

"No." Both Mingi and Jongho answer.

"Yes." Hongjoong says. "They never shut up." 

Mingi needs both Jongho and Hongjoong's help to get back across the room and into bed but he doesn't mind too much. Hongjoong can't stop smiling and that's all that really matters. 

Mingi wakes early the next morning, so early that the sun is only just beginning to rise and there are only the faintest hints of noise from outside of his room. He has a headache and his whole body  _ hurts _ . He's also in desperate need of the bathroom but he's not quite sure that he can face the humiliation of being helped into his ensuite by one of the nurses this early in the day. 

He slowly, slowly manoeuvres himself out of bed and into the bathroom. He feels a bit better once he's finished up and he's washed his face but still pretty miserable. He thinks he might sleep the rest of the morning away once he gets back into bed and maybe, maybe, he'll feel better once he wakes up.

He doesn't get as far as the bed.

He catches his foot on something, he doesn't know what, coming out of the bathroom and he stumbles forwards. He sends his IV pole flying and the feeling of the needle being yanked out of his arm barely registers compared to the explosion of pain that courses through him when he hits the floor.

For the next few minutes there is nothing but him and the pain.

He pants and he shakes and he just  _ lays there _ . He knows he needs to get up off the floor or call for help but he can't get his brain and limbs to cooperate. 

He's still on the floor half an hour later when one of the nurses comes in to check on him. It takes three people to get him back into bed and he's still being cleaned up and checked over (he hadn't realised just how much he'd bled when the IV had been yanked out) when Hongjoong stops by for his customary check in before his shift starts.

"What on earth happened?" He asks and Mingi hates how worried he looks. 

"I fell." Mingi can't meet his eyes.

"He decided to go to the bathroom without calling one of us to help him." The nurse who'd found him explains. 

"Oh, Mingi." Hongjoong says and the disappointment in his voice and on his face is devastating. 

Jongho is back again to sit with him today but Mingi is tired and upset and in pain and he doesn't want to talk. Jongho gives up trying to engage him in conversation after a couple of attempts and instead settles into the comfier of the two chairs next to the bed with a book. 

Mingi manages to fall asleep mid morning. He sleeps through Wooyoung's lunchtime visit and Hongjoong checking in on him mid-afternoon. He doesn't wake until Jongho shakes him awake sometime after five. 

"I'm sorry to wake you." Jongho says though he doesn't look very sorry at all. "You've got a visitor."

"What?" 

Jongho nods in the direction of the door and Mingi, still mostly asleep, actually gasps because- because there is Yunho, a sheepish smile on his face and a bouquet of pink roses held tightly in one hand. 

"What?" Mingi says again. 

Jongho rolls his eyes, "let's get you sat up and that might help you wake up a bit."

"Am I okay to come in?" Yunho asks as Jongho fiddles with the controls for the bed and helps Mingi get comfortable.

"You want to?" Mingi asks and he immediately feels stupid. Yunho had asked, hadn't he?

Yunho smiles and nods, "yeah, I want to."

"Well, I'll give you two some privacy. It's my turn to buy dinner anyway." Jongho says, not even attempting to be subtle. He eyes Yunho like a parent sizing up their child's new partner. "Will you be staying for dinner, Yunho?"

Yunho looks at Mingi, eyes wide, "erm- I don't know?"

Mingi feels his cheeks heat up, "do you have to be so embarassing, Jongho?"

"Yes." Jongho tells him. He shoots one last look at Yunho. "I'll be back in about an hour."

There's a long moment after the door clicks closed where the two of them just stare at each other in silence before Yunho cracks a grin and then, suddenly, they're both laughing. 

"He's intense." Yunho says once they've settled down.

"Just a bit." Mingi nods at the chair closest to the bed. "You can sit down, if you want." 

His palms feel sweaty and his heart is racing. He doesn't understand why Yunho is here but he feels embarrassed now that the initial shock is wearing off. Yunho looks amazing, his hair all soft and styled and dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a polo, and Mingi- Mingi knows he looks disgusting. He's had nothing but sponge baths since  _ that day  _ and he hasn't shaved since Hongjoong had done it for him a couple of days ago. 

He doesn't know why Yunho is smiling at him like he is- as if, as if Mingi is the most beautiful person he's ever seen.

He doesn't understand.

"What?" Mingi asks and he swears that his cheeks must be bright red. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No reason." Yunho tells him, his smile not dimming. "It's just- it's really good to see you." 

"I look like crap." Mingi tears his eyes away from Yunho's. They land on the pink roses instead and his heart begins to pound. Are they for him?

"You'll always be beautiful to me." Yunho says and Mingi sees that his ears are red.

"You don't mean that." Mingi tells him. He fiddles with his blankets. "Why are you here?" 

"Wooyoung said you were having a bad day and I- I don't know. I thought maybe I could help turn it into a good day?" Yunho thrusts the flowers at him and Mingi's jaw drops as he takes them. "These are for you, by the way. I got you flowers for our first date but I don't know if you saw them? My mom wouldn't shut up about how important flowers are and Hongjoong said pink roses were your favourite and I- I like you, Mingi. I really, really like you." 

Mingi stares blankly as he processes the mess of words that have just left Yunho's mouth. 

"You- you've told your mom about me?" He asks at last. 

"She's been after me to ask you out on a date since forever." Yunho tells him and then he suddenly looks really nervous. "Is that okay? It's not weird, is it?" 

Mingi laughs and he feels happier -  _ lighter  _ \- than he can remember feeling in a long time. 

"No, it's not weird- it's, it's  _ nice _ ." Mingi says and it really, truly is. He laughs again and he allows himself to hope. "You really like me?" 

"Yeah." Yunho says. "Do you like me?"

"Yeah." Mingi hugs the roses to his chest. "I really do." 

"Good." Yunho looks happier than Mingi has ever seen him. It really suits him. 

Mingi squeezes his eyes closed and breathes in the scent of the roses. He smiles.

Maybe even the worst of days can end in the best of ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :) please let me know what you think!!


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